Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) hates her life. Her family is obnoxious. She spends her days cleaning toilets for rich people who don’t appreciate her. And she can’t manage to get enough money to buy a lovely antique telescope she really wants. But don’t worry Jupiter, Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) is on the way to throw you into an intergalactic war between power-mad siblings. No seriously.

Turns out Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) is obsessed with controlling earth, because it is a rich source for the most valuable substance in the universe. Of course he may have to enslave humanity to get it, but them’s the breaks. Turns out Jupiter is the key to complete control. Now intergalactic forces are trying to nab her and convince (or coerce) her to their side. Some insane combat explodes across the screen, Mila Kunis falls from great heights several times and hey is that Sean Bean? He is always great. In the end, Jupiter will have to decide how she can best help save the earth, even if she is just a normal girl who hates her life.

Good Points:

• Full of amazing visuals and exciting action sequences
• Creates a unique and engaging world beyond our solar system
• Goes over the top in an entertaining way (including Redmayne’s performance) 

Bad Points:

• Feels like it is a bit overstuffed at times
• Jones isn’t a very pro-active character (but you could argue that is her story arc)
• The over the top feeling may turn off some viewers.

Overall:

Ok I had a good time with this one. I know it bombed in theaters, but I think it got a bit of a harsh treatment. Lots of new stuff on display here and the story is a unique one in modern space opera. I love Michael Giacchino’s score (one of his best). And I think Kunis does a good job in the role. But the movie moves at a breakneck pace and is so packed with craziness it does end up distancing you from the characters. I wanted to like them more than I did. That said, it was worth an evening’s viewing and I’m actually kicking myself for not seeing the flick in theaters – because… damn, those visuals are really something else.

Scores(out of 5)

Visuals:  5

Sound: 5

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 5

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

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The Devil’s Candy (2015)

One of my favorite quotes from MST3K comes from Pod People, and it goes something like this “What is it about the gates of hell that compels people to walk right in?” It is a valid question and one that is often explored in horror films. But sometimes the gates of hell aren’t physical, sometimes they are in the mind. This film takes a look at that concept with a helping of heavy metal, because Satan is pretty metal.

Summary:

The film starts as many horror films do, with a family moving into home with a bit of a history. A double murder occurred in the house. Jesse (Ethan Embry) loves the home’s barn so he can paint his huge canvas’s and listen to heavy metal as inspiration. His wife Astrid (Sheri Appleby) and daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco) are a little less enthused dealing with a greater distance to drive to work and a new school.

But everyone agrees that the house has a real problem attracting the imposing and obviously disturbed Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince). Ray is hearing a voice and it is driving him to do some horrible things. But the twist is, Ray used to live in this house and the voice started there. Too soon, Jesse starts to hear the same voice and his paintings become more and more deranged. What strange connection does Jesse have with Ray? And how will it doom this family when they come to understand the horror of The Devil’s Candy?

Good Points:

• Creates an eerie atmosphere and building dread
• The film keeps the viewer guessing at how dark it is going to turn
• Impressive performances by the entire cast 

Bad Points:

• Feels a bit choppy in places
• There are small elements of the story that don’t seem to have a payoff
• If you aren’t a fan of loud guitars then some of the music and sound design might aggravate you

Overall:

Liked the way the film portrays the corruption that seems to spread from the home, and creates this feeling of dread. We see early on what happened to Ray and how he is (not) managing it. But as we get to know the family, we fear for them. The performance are what make this work, we like the dysfunctional family, and we fear Ray. The movie feels a bit uneven in places, and has a few elements that don’t really pay off, but overall the camerawork and pacing build the horror until you are never sure just how dark this movie is going to get. Well worth checking out if you are in the mood for some heavy metal dread.

Scores(out of 5)

Visuals:  4

Sound: 4

Acting:  4

Script:  4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total: 4

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Crimson Peak (2015)

Introduction:

The trailers for Crimson Peak caught my interest. It looked like a visual feast with a heavy lean on gothic style. And it was directed by Guillermo del Toro. While his movies don’t always land for me, I always appreciate his visual and his boldness in going full bore for the type of movie he is trying to make. I was hoping this film would be a little better than Pacific Rim. Let’s see what happened.

Summary:

Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is feeling trapped in her life as a secretary for her industrialist father. She is an aspiring novelist, but since this is the 1800s that profession is frowned upon for proper young ladies. Edith meets a handsome baronet from England who dreams of making his fortune using a unique steam powered machine. He is a fiery dreamer named Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and with his taciturn sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) they are seeking capital for their venture.

Edith’s father turns Thomas down, but she falls for the dashing young man and hurries off to England as his new bride. Once they get to the ancient mansion, Edith finds that things are much different then she realized. The old house is literally falling apart. Lucille goes from taciturn to downright disturbing. And then there are the ghosts – vividly, horrifically bloody ghosts. And when Edith hears that the area is called Crimson Peak she recalls a message from a spectral form of her mother warning her against visiting this evil place. Will Edith be able to unravel the mysteries of Crimson Peak or is she already ensnared in a deadly trap?

Good Points:

• Amazing atmospheric visuals and style
• Excellent acting by the entire cast
• As sense of fun and energy to the whole film

Bad Points:

• The visual style of the ghosts doesn’t quite fit with the film
• Some may find the focus on gothic romance to be annoying
• The storyline borrows from many classic tales so it may be overly familiar to some viewers

Overall:

If you are looking for a fun throwback to the Hammer style horror films then you’ll enjoy Del Toro’s energetic effort to capture that type of film. With a focus on gothic romance, a dash of visceral violence and some impressive visual design the movie aims high and nearly hits all the points.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

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Movie Musings: The Strange Journey of the Star Trek Films - Part 2

Part Two - The Next Generation and Beyond

Troi proves the seats are as comfy as they look.

In 1994, three years after Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country was release in theaters, Star Trek: The Next Generation released the season finale. Fans were heartbroken. But Paramount had launched its new series Deep Space Nine the year before. The hope was to get fans to enjoy the new show and get the cast from The Next Generation to start a whole new film franchise. It was a calculated move, but one that made sense looking at the scope of the franchise.

The first venture to the big screen for the new crew would be Star Trek: Generations also in 1994. The cast and crew from The Next Generation found themselves working double time to finish the television series and work on the feature film all at the same time. To entice fans of The Original Series back into the theaters, Captain Kirk would appear in the film and play a major role in the plot. To pull off this time traveling adventure the script went through many revisions. The result was a film that was very muddled from a story perspective. In the end, the movie was a financial success, proving that The Next Generation was popular enough to continue with films. But critical reception was mixed. No one loved the film, and many found much to dislike. But few felt it was as poor as The Final Frontier, so that is something to smile about.

No better way to start the morning. Spot of tea and
a Klingon babe who can crochet.

The next year Star Trek: Voyager arrived on television. Paramount was going all in with this era of Star Trek entertainment.  This was about the time where Star Trek reached its apex of popularity. Paramount moved forward confidently with Star Trek: First Contact, arriving in 1996. The movie used one of the most popular and dangerous enemies of the Star Trek universe, the Borg. It mirrored The Wrath of Khan in many ways, driving up the stakes, making the characters the focus and injecting plenty of action. The impressive budget allowed for some top notch visual effects. Most impressive of all was the commitment to tone. This is a dark gritty movie that keeps things tense and intriguing. Director Jonathan Frakes used his familiarity with the cast and crew to execute an impressive film. Fans loved every minute of it. Critics were also kind, and found a lot to like about the movie and the cast. It was a financial success coming close to the high point reached by The Voyage Home. Everyone seemed pleased with the film and was looking forward to more.

"She's trying to kill him. I just caught her."

More was on the way. In 1998, with Frakes once again at the helm, Star Trek: Insurrection arrived in theaters. This time the decision was made to make the film lighter and a bit more action heavy. First Contact was very dark, and the thought was that fans of the series would like a breather after that. Unfortunately several rewrites of the script ended up with something that felt like an extended episode of the television series. But the high budget and some gorgeous location shooting gave the movie a big screen presence.  Critical and fan response was mixed. For many this felt like a step back, lacking the impact to the characters and storylines they were seeing in the television series Deep Space Nine which was heading into its final season and raising tension and stakes to ridiculous levels. Insurrection felt tame in comparison. General audiences enjoyed it well enough, and the film was financially successful. But Paramount was beginning to suspect that they had oversaturated the market with Star Trek and decided to hold off on any further films for longer than usual.

Titanic, Star Trek style?

Deep Space Nine and Voyager ended in 1999 and 2001 respectively.  While both shows had their fans, the two series never grew into the pop culture force that The Original Series and The Next Generation did. Paramount didn’t feel comfortable trying to leverage either storyline into a full blown movie franchise. So they decided to craft a new series, one that took place before Captain Kirk’s time. Star Trek: Enterprise (or Enterprise as it was first called) arrived on screens in 2001. It was Paramount trying hard to bring in new fans to a new series they could call their own.

Troi just loves putting her feet up... on the phaser controls.

In 2002, after an extended delay Star Trek: Nemesis arrived in theaters. Paramount made no secret that this would be the last film for the crew of The Next Generation. They wanted to try to cultivate what they hoped would be a new, more popular series of adventures with the folks from Enterprise. Once again the focus of the film would be based on The Wrath of Khan template. Romulans were the enemies this time, and the focus on massive space battles at the end promised visual spectacle. They also tried to take the dark visuals of First Contact and give the film a more gritty look. The final result was a movie that didn’t appeal to anyone. Critics felt it was mediocre at best. Fans really disliked some of the plot points and the paint by numbers script. Even the cast wasn’t happy with this one. Much like The Final Frontier before it Nemesis was released during an insane year for sequels. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Die Another Day and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets all came out the same year. To many folks Star Trek looked old next to these newer franchises.  Nemesis was a critical and commercial failure and ended the film tenure of the Next Generation crew on a sour note.

You can't see the green alien babe dancing behind
the camera.

Paramount also miscalculated on the appeal of their new series Enterprise. Long time fans were turned off by the inconsistency within the Star Trek cannon. Others disliked the recycling of stories from previous series in the franchise. Had the saga run out of things to say? Others found the ramped up attempts at sex appeal and action to be too different from what had been established in the tone of The Next Generation series. Producers tried hard to turn things around in the third and fourth seasons, but ratings kept dropping. Enterprise ended its run in 2005 with a series finale that pretty much pissed everyone off.

Most science fiction fans wept a tear that day, figuring that Star Trek had taken its final voyage. Many of us were ready to move on. But Paramount wasn’t. Star Trek was a money making franchise, even if they never really understood it. They let some time pass and also decided that it was time to go back to basics. Star Trek’s most popular incarnation (and still the financial high point for the films) was the original series. If they could somehow leverage new stories in that universe, with familiar characters, they could bring Star Trek back to life.

The impact of Batman Begins as well as Casino Royale in 2008 must have convinced them that a reboot was not only possible, but the most likely way to get people back into theaters. They could recast with younger actors, get a popular director who knew his way around television series and big budget films. They went to J.J. Abrams, who had just made Mission Impossible III a success for Paramount, and asked him to reboot the franchise.

"Did you just die on the first Goomba?"

It was a bold move. But hey, Star Trek is all about being bold, right? The film started from the ground up, redesigning nearly everything to keep it visually familiar, but still new and fresh looking. Careful casting and a story that combined plenty of action and character interaction was penned. Big budget visual effects were brought in. And a key appearance by Leonard Nimoy as Spock would hook the old timers who were curious but cautious about the whole endeavor. And instead of a hard reboot which would alienate the more cannon obsessed fans, they used time travel to create an alternate time line. So now both storylines could exist in the same universe. Very clever. Perhaps the biggest change was the shift of focus to fun. Star Trek would be a film focused on providing a good time to the audience. No deep themes. No navel gazing or long conversations here. Just witty quips, plenty of action and excitement, and a cast that sparkled. It all worked wonderfully. Star Trek was a critical and financial success. Nostalgia for the old series was tapped into, but new viewers were also engaged with the fun characters and action. Yes, some hard core fans grumbled. This wasn’t their Trek. But nearly everyone else enjoyed the film for what it was. It lead to Star Trek being the most financially successful film in the franchise. Paramount was ready for more.

Run toward the red foliage, you'll blend right in.

Abrams stayed on board for the next film Star Trek into Darkness in 2013. Once again the decision was made to mimic Wrath of Khan, but more than just in story structure, but in full on story. The visual style was kept, but leaned more toward grey and black to give the movie a darker feel. Popular British actor Benedict Cumberbatch stepped into the role of Khan. Like the previous film, there is plenty of action and space adventure. But the story is much darker, with actual ties to current events. The script does take lines and moments from previous films and attempts to spin them in unexpected ways. But this ended up doing more harm than good. The tonal shift ended up disappointing those looking for a fun time (and would get it in Guardians of the Galaxy the next year). The script similarities and recasting of Khan would really vex other fans, who called it a mockery of some of the best of classic Trek. Critics generally seemed to enjoy the film. But there was a taint around it in general fandom that persists to this day. Financially the film did extremetly well, eventually surpassing the previous film overall.

"I don't see any booze. You said there was going to
be booze."

This guaranteed a sequel. Abrams left to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the franchised shifted to Justin Lin. Star Trek Beyond was due in theaters in 2015, the 50^th anniversary of the franchise. Lin went back to the format of the 2009 film and focused on fun and action as the guiding force for the movie. He also had a script that tried to feel more tied to the spirit of The Original Series more than the previous two film had. There are plenty of references to the older series in the film, as well as nods to all kinds of Trek lore. Unfortunately the focus on big action and banter continued to rub some Trek fans the wrong way. Some viewers fun with the film, but felt it was too lightweight. Other felt that the series was hurtling further and further from the original vision of Star Trek, and felt Beyond was further evidence of Paramount not understanding the franchise beyond a money making machine. Critical response was mixed. But financially the film barely broke even. (and some estimate that it didn’t). It was a disappointment for all involved.

While Star Trek Beyond was in production, Paramout felt the financial success of Into Darkness meant it was time to start up a new television series based on Star Trek. The goal was create something new and exciting for their new online network, and Star Trek: Discovery got the green light. It seems to have had some changes in direction during production and trailers have received a mixed reaction. Visually it looks a lot like the J.J. Abrams films. But it is supposed to take place before the events of The Original Series. Sounds like Enterprise all over again, but I’m willing to give it a shot. We’ll see if Beyond’s financial performance impacts the series. Who knows, if the series does take off, we might have more Star Trek films in the future.

It takes a special kind of guy to fall
for a Borg Queen.

Movie Music Musings: The Goldsmith Award 2015

Time to give another Goldsmith award. The first nominee who leapt to mind was Michael Giacchino. He tackled four films in 2015. He had two hits and two big misses. But I already blogged about his work, and while I think his score for Jupiter Ascending may be my favorite score for a bad movie in 2015, I wanted to shake things up a bit. If you are curious, his score to Tomorrowland, which also bombed pretty hard is really a great throwback to full orchestral adventure scores of the 1990s.

Anyway that left two other very good scores for very poor movies. First up is Pan, yet another telling of the Peter Pan story. I don't think anyone was clamoring for that, but we got it anyway. The score was composed by John Powell, a very talented composer we don't hear much from these days. He was very active in the 2000s and gave us some wonderful scores. My favorites are his one-two punch of How to Train Your Dragon and its sequel. His work in Pan was nearly as fun as those two and well worth seeking out. But ignore the songs for this film... they hurt.

You've also got Victor Frankenstein another reinterpretation that no one was begging studios for. Craig Armstrong stepped up to deliver a knockout score full of gothic darkness and plenty of excitement. Armstrong is another composer who usually delivers and has a very good working relationship with Baz Luhrmann. So even though this film bombed, I'm sure Baz will still bring him along for his next project.

Of the two, I have to give the award to Pan. It has a bit more of the swashbuckling attitude that enjoy in my scores and Powell certainly delivers. Check out Kidnapped/Galleon Dog Fight which starts off nice and sweet before diving into a percussive action track packed with fun moments and plenty of classic swashbuckling energy with a modern twist.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Introduction:

Back in 1996 when Tom Cruise starred the first Mission: Impossible film, I didn’t think we’d be seeing a five film franchise coming out of it. I figured it was good for maybe one or two sequels. But here we are, nearly 20 years later and Cruise is still running around with his MI team. But will this be one adventure worth taking?

Summary:

Top agent for the Impossible Mission force, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is convinced that a diabolical agency is working against the IMF to create chaos and terror. While on the trail of this entity known as the Syndicate, he runs into the lovely Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who helps him out of a jam, but seems to be working for the Syndicate.

Meanwhile William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) runs into opposition from the head of the CIA Alan Hunley (played with verve by Alec Baldwin). The CIA feels the IMF is more destructive than effective and shuts them down. Hunley also sets his sights on Hunt as the main issue and issues a warrant for him (again). Meanwhile, Hunt marshals his forces including Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) to track down the Syndicate. This results in some crazy acrobatics on the outside of a plane as it takes off, a intense motorcycle chase, infiltrating a secured location – under water, and stopping a sniper or three from killing dignitaries during an opera. But is there any hope against the dangerous Rogue Nation?

Good Points:

• The plot balances thrills and action very well
• Action scenes and stunt work are really impressive for this outing.
• We finally have an intriguing villain for this series!

Bad Points:

• Story line is a bit convoluted for anyone looking for pure action
• Wait, didn’t Ethan go rogue in the last four movies also?
• A little less humor than the previous entry 

Overall:

I enjoyed Ghost Protocol well enough, but I wasn’t clamoring for another adventure in the franchise. But I have to say the additions of Ferguson and Harris made for a more intriguing film. The humor is toned down a bit for some straight up tension, but it works great. McQuarrie does an excellent job crafting a fun film and the score by Joe Kraemer may be the best of the series. Well worth checking out.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  5

Sound:  5

Acting: 4

Script:  4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Mission: Impossible Reviews

• Mission: Impossible
• Mission: Impossible 2
• Mission: Impossible 3
• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
• Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

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Score Sample: Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Five films. Did anyone expect us to get five Mission: Impossible films? I didn't. But hey, I guess Tom Cruise enjoys putting himself in danger for our amusement. While the films vary a bit in quality, they are all entertaining. That goes for the scores associated with them too.

I hoped that Michael Giacchino would be brought back on board for this film, and craft a Mission: Impossible trilogy to enjoy. But it wasn't in the cards. Instead director Christopher McQuarrie brought his pal from the first Jack Reacher film to score this one. Joe Kraemer doesn't shy away from the task. He uses the famous Mission: Impossible theme as well as the less known The Plot theme and weaves them all over the place. He crafts a sneaky theme for the villain and adapts a lovely opera piece for the leading lady (which plays into the assassination scheme at the opera). Its a really excellent score, maybe the best of the whole series so far (and I love Giacchino's work). Here is  the impressive opening sequence followed by the opening titles. What a way to start this movie!

Star Wars – Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

Introduction:

I remember hearing about George Lucas’ nine-part plan for our lives on a bus to summer camp back in the 1980s. I thought that sounded like the most ambitious and exciting turn of events I could conceive of. Nine Star Wars movies were too much to hope for. For nearly a decade it really was. Then we got the prequels, and most of us just hoped that Lucas would stop, please stop. But then Disney stepped in, brought along J. J. Abrams and we were looking at nine movies again. Was this A New Hope? Or was the Disney Empire about to strike out?

Summary:

You’d think that after blowing up the second Death Star the galaxy far far away would have learned its lesson. Alas, that is not the case. From the ashes of the Galactic Empire arose the First Order and their dark Jedi commander Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Ren is seeking out Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who vanished after his attempt to resurrect the Jedi order failed. Once the first order finds and kills Skywalker they have an open door to the rest of the galaxy.

Standing in their way is the Resistance, organized by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). She’s sent her best pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to retrieve the coordinates of Skywalker’s last known address. But the First Order comes around and mucks it all up. The coordinates end up in a droid named BB-8, who meets a young scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley). Before you can say “Help me Han Solo, you’re my only hope”, Rey meets up with an ex-stormtrooper named Fin (John Boyega) and everyone’s favorite smuggler duo: Han (Harrison Ford) and Chewie (Peter Mayhew). A series of adventures explode across the screen as our heroes try to stay one step ahead of the First Order who are convinced that these events are leading to an awakening in the Force.

Good Points:

• A superb cast delivers a solid script (with a surprising amount of humor)
• Brings back the show, don’t tell, style of the original trilogy
• Feels like a natural extension of the first three films 

Bad Points:

• Or it is pretty much a rehash of A New Hope with a splash of new paint
• Some of the design choices seem to miss the fact that Return of the Jedi happened
• The death of a major character may be too much for some fans

Overall:

You want to have a great time in the Star Wars universe, then The Force Awakens may be your movie. Bursting with interesting new characters, familiar faces, plenty of great humor and lots of action, the seventh movie in the franchise is a blast. It is also overly familiar and some viewers may find that familiarity off putting. For me it was just what 2-1B ordered. For the first time in a long time, I’m looking forward to the next adventure in the Star Wars series.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 5

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 5

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 5

Total:  4

In Depth Review

New opening crawl, same old ALL CAPS words.

Well let’s get this out of the way. You aren’t going to please everyone. That’s just a basic issue with making any kind of art or entertainment. Once Disney got involved with Star Wars we all knew that they were sure going to try to please everyone (and market as much merchandise as possible), but Disney’s track record in the first part of the 2010s was pretty good. They are focusing more on developing memorable characters and stories. We also had J.J. Abrams on board for The Force Awakens, and like or dislike his work, it is hard to ignore the fact that he crafts entertainment that appeals to a lot of people.

Finn's feeling a little blue after Rey is knocked out.

The big Bantha in the room is the simple fact that the prequel films did more to discourage long time fans than make new ones. There are good things about those films (I wrote a blog about ten of them) but for the most part the films aren’t nearly as satisfying for long time fans. Disney’s goal was to bring back those old fans, and create a new fan base. This meant bringing back the feel of the original trilogy and crafting new characters that are intriguing and exciting to the audience.

The approach was to saturate the new with the mood and feel of the old. From what I’ve seen, reaction to The Force Awakens is impacted by how the familiarity turns into fan service for you. If the movie crosses the line too often than the whole endeavor feels horribly calculated – something Disney is notorious for doing. But if you enjoy the mix, then suddenly you’re having a great time with a Star Wars film, and for a lot of fans that is reason enough to celebrate.

Jacket thief!

The visual aspects of this movie are a perfect mirror of that philosophy. A strong effort was made to show old time fans that this was a Star Wars movie as they remembered it. Gone are the extravagant green screen sets. Gone were the over the top lightsaber battles filled with CG characters doing the impossible. Gone were the hoards of CG troopers swarming a CG world. Instead you had location shooting, actual bodies on the screen, weight and gravity for the lightsaber battles and firefights, and the movie was shot on actual Kodak film, instead of using digital techniques.

Trapped between a droid and tough gal.

Most of the costume and character design follows the same pattern. We have Han Solo wearing his jacket from Empire Strikes Back, the pilot outfits for both sides harkens back to the original trilogy in a lot of ways. Hell, the whole First Order looks like they just took the Empires template for everything and gave it a few more curves and extensions and boom – there you go.

The effect is obvious, The Force Awakens looks like it is a natural extension of the original trilogy. That is often a complaint leveled at the prequels, that they never felt tied to the Star Wars universe until the second half of Revenge of the Sith.

Han Solo tours - bringing the best of the galaxy to you.

But then you have some of the over-playing the hand that I mentioned earlier. So A New Hope had three primary locations: desert planet, metal planet and jungle planet. The Force Awakens has three major locals: desert planet, metal/snow planet and forest planet. Yes you have a couple tweaks to the visuals, but for the most part the fact is you could swap out Jakku for Tatooine and no one would really know the difference. The inside of Star Killer base looks a lot like the inside of the Death Star, but that I can forgive. It was built by a group inspired by the Empire after all. But the forested planet we explore in the second half of the film could easily be the love child between Yavin and Endor. The biggest visual change is the final planet we see in the film, where Luke Skywalker awaits. Those grey islands in the mist are unlike anything else we’ve seen in the series.

TIE is TIE no matter what trilogy you are watching.

Then there’s the matter of the space ships. It is great to see the Millennium Falcon again. I like the replacement dish on top after the old one was scraped off in Return of the Jedi, but it seems that is the only technology that admits Return of the Jedi happened. By the time of The Force Awakens you’d think that fighter evolution would have continued from the B-wings, A-Wings and TIE Interceptors of the third film. But instead we get slightly revamped versions of the X-wings and TIE fighters that were old in Return of the Jedi. Now only a big Star Wars geek is even going to notice, but it seemed like a missed opportunity to no include some new ship types in there. Or at least throw in a couple Y-wings if you’re going to borrow from A New Hope.

"They sunk my battleship!"

I will say that the alien and creature design is a lot closer to what we saw in the prequels. This is probably because costumes mixed with CG has allowed film makers to go far beyond the limits of 1970s and 1980s technology. But The Force Awakens keeps things looking more physical when it comes to these new designs. There are plenty of CG only characters in the film, but they don’t stand out as much as the ones in the prequels and it helps that so many practical and physical effects are used. The audience is rarely pulled completely out of the moment, and allows the actors to interact with actual items.

Love the scale in this shot.

Like all the moves that preceded it, The Force Awakens has some really great visual moments. You get scenes where Rey is standing in front of a downed Star Destroyer or AT-AT on Jakku and the scale comes home. You have the enormous holograph of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and the cavernous room he appears in. Maz’s forest hideout looks like nothing else in the series and camera captures it well. But the last third of the movie is filled with imagery that will become iconic: Han confronting Kylo Ren, the duel between Rey and Kylo Ren and the final climb to reveal Luke Skywalker all create a visual tapestry that adds a new chapter to Star Wars. The only misstep was the speech General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) gives in full on Hitler mode. It just seemed a bit too much almost to the point where I was chuckling. Of course subtlety was never something Star Wars was ever going for, but that moment just seemed over-ripe.

BB8 does his best Lawrence of Arabia.

The Star Wars series has always been a source of creative and unique sound design. It is safe to say that The Force Awakens provides plenty of great sound work. But here I think the creators went for the more familiar. Not much new material popped out at me in this area. Lightsabers, the Falcon, and blasters all sound like you expect. The most unique new source of sound effects is BB-8 who doesn’t’ sound like R2-D2, but is certainly cut from the same cloth. He is very expressive for only using sound effects.

Leia doubts the veracity of your claim.

For the music there really was no other option, John Williams had to return. When the movie first came out, a lot of film music fans were actually a bit disappointed in the score. But I think it was due to a strange duality. Some fans wanted a score that sounded like Empire Strikes Back. Others wanted a score with the choral majesty of Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace. The thing is Williams’ style changed back in the 1990s. He hasn’t written anything in the style of Empire Strikes Back for decades. Since The Force Awakens is a direct follow up to the original trilogy, the massive choral set pieces don’t make sense. There was very little human voice work in the original trilogy with just Return of the Jedi utilizing it for the Emperor to any great degree.

What Williams fashioned is a Star Wars score through and through, but one in his current style. It has plenty of quotes for older themes including the main Star Wars theme, the Rebel fanfare, Leia’s Theme and Han and Leia’s theme. But most prevalent is the theme for The Force. Williams gives it some glorious treatments in this score. Listeners with sharp ears will hear a subtle nod to Darth Vader’s theme in one cue near the end of the film.

There may be some trust issues here.

The new themes are really impressive. The best of the bunch is the theme for Rey. It has two parts that are very moldable and get a major workout in the film. Kylo Ren also gets a theme with two parts: a bold fanfare and a sinister conflicted theme. Finally you have a brash theme for The Resistance. That one sounds a lot like the theme for the Nazis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade so I actually get a little distracted by it. I’m in the minority on that one, most people love it.

Wait, is this Tatooine or Arrakis?

Like any good Star Wars score, Williams weaves the themes in and around each other. He comes up with some exciting action music, my favorite revolving around the sequence where Finn and Rey abduct the Falcon. The final duel also has some great scoring as Rey’s theme and Kylo Ren’s theme do battle. But the best cue is the grand finale at the Jedi Steps and into the end credits: wonderful work, and one of my favorite Star Wars scores to date.

Ok, who ordered two craggy old smugglers: to go?

The acting is part of the reason The Force Awakens is so entertaining. One of the big factors is Harrison Ford’s performance as Han Solo. He brings a great combination of world-weariness and sly charm to the role. It is miles above his performance in Return of the Jedi and his interaction with the new cast and Carrie Fischer turn into the heart of the movie. It is great to have Han truly back. His final moments in the film provide the necessary punch and if Ford hadn’t been committed, I doubt it would have worked as well.

In addition there are some good performances by Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and even Simon Pegg as the greedy Unkar Plutt. Then you have the silent but enigmatic moment with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. That will provide plenty of discussion until the next installment comes out.

The future looks bright. She better wear shades.

As great as the old cast is, the new cast is what makes this movie work. Daisy Ridley is luminous as Rey. She brings so much energy to the role, and you can’t help but like and root for her. I connected so well with her that she ended up in my top ten list offavorite Star Wars characters after only one movie! Equally engaging is John Boyega as Finn. His struggle with his conscience and his interaction with Poe and Han allows us to understand and appreciate him. You get the feeling that he is going to grow as a character as the series progresses. I’m very curious to see where he ends up. Oscar Isaac is also immediately likable as the confident and friendly Poe Dameron. While his screen time is less than the other two, his personality and banter make you wish he was in the movie even more.

Don't tell me mum that I'm planning mass murder.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren does a good job playing this character of conflict. He is menacing and dangerous, but he is also damaged in some way. When his mask comes off, we are surprised by his youth and yet it fits into why he does what he does. We only get part of his story in The Force Awakens, but his actions and desires tell us even more. Driver has plenty of presence and I think they will make good use of it in the coming films. Domhnall Gleeson does a good job in the role of General Hux. He has a fanatical intensity about him that reminds me of General Motti from A New Hope. While I think they lay on the Hitler-esque performance a bit too thick in his big speech, I’m curious to see more of him in the next film. Rounding out the villains is Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke. I’m not terribly fond of this characters appearance – he looks too much like Voldemort from the Harry Potter films. It was actually kind of distracting. Serkis does a lot with his voice and brings gravitas and evil into the role, at the same time his part seemed unnecessary. But that is more of a script issue than anything else.

Couldn't we see her shoot just one person?

Lupita Nyong’o does a very good job as Maz Kanata, the wise alien that puts Rey on the path to The Force. She has some very good banter with Han Solo and the combination of CG and the performance works pretty well. We also get Max Von Sydow in a small but critical role in the opening of the film. Kind of wish we got to know more about him. In the same boat is Gwendoline Christie as the shiny Captain Phasma: silver stormtooper with a cold but deadly attitude. I was hoping to see her kick some kind of ass… but she was barely in the film. Could it be that Disney is setting her up as the next Boba Fett? It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

I'm not touching you. Does this bother you?

The script to The Force Awakens has one big plus and one big minus. On the positive side is all the humor and camaraderie in the film. This is the funniest Star Wars film in the series, and I’m not talking about burp jokes, clumsy alien jokes or an endless parade of droid related puns. No, this is actual humor that comes out organically from situations, banter and irony. We haven’t seen this kind of humor in action since The Empire Strikes Back, and you can tell that writers Laurence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt kept the focus on fun. The combination of this approach to the script and the warm performances by the cast is what makes the film work so well in spite of the big minus in the script.

Time to play the HD version of Yar's Revenge!

Familiarity breeds contempt and that is where some viewers may end up when they come to the conclusion that The Force Awakens is essentially A New Hope in a different coat of paint. All the plot points are present. All the character moments can be checked off. Some sequences are played out in a nearly identical way. And when the script isn’t cribbing openly from episode four, you can see easy ties to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. As organic as the humor and character moments are, the plot feels very manufactured to deliver the same feelings A New Hope delivered in 1977. To be honest, that is a futile effort. You can’t catch lightening in a bottle twice, no matter how much talent and money you throw at something.

That is my biggest problem with The Force Awakens. It feels manufactured in many scenes. The Starkiller Base is especially bad. It really doesn’t need to be in the film at all. I spent most of my first viewing wondering how stupid the First Order was for building yet another super weapon, when twice before that super weapon was destroyed. It reduced them as a credible threat in a way and hurt the movie.

Don't tell me they stole the Red Matter from Star Trek.

But you begin to wonder if the Starkiller base was something added in later during script development or insisted up by someone at the studio. It just doesn’t fall in with the character driven elements of the story. And when The Force Awakens falters in the script it is because of moments like that. There are few too many scenes of fan service where the movie stops to say “remember how much you liked this from the original trilogy?”. Us old time fans get pandered to a bit too often and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

That said, I understand the approach. The Force Awakens goes out of its way to assure everyone that Star Wars is back, it is fun and it is going to continue the saga in a way that most viewers are going to enjoy. It isn’t ignoring the prequels, but it isn’t using them as inspiration either.

The First Order brings the brutal hammer down.

Balancing all this is J.J. Abrams in the director’s chair. I don’t envy him this task, and yet I think Star Wars is a better fit for him than Star Trek. Abrams’ tendencies toward action and mythic plot structure are in line with the galaxy far far away. Star Trek’s focus on ideas and themes at the core of each movie was something he didn’t seem as interested in. With Abrams helming The Force Awakens we are treated to a movie that moves at a rapid pace. It throws you into the story and never lets up till the end. He sacrifices some background for characters and situations, but so did A New Hope. Instead he relies on the performances and the actions we witness now to carry the film. For the most part it works. He manages to hit that sweet spot of plot, character and entertainment. You could argue that all Abrams had to do was mimic A New Hope and he would have a success, but if you remember all the movies that came out after 1977 that tried and failed to capture what made Star Wars work, you know that isn’t true. Abrams definitely tackled this formidable challenge and gave us a very entertaining Star Wars adventure.

I swear, he let me keep the jacket!

At this point it is easy to say that The Force Awakens works better than any of the prequels because of its ability to craft characters you connect to almost immediately, and create situations that make you want to see what happens next in the story. Both were experiences I never had with the prequels. I also think the script is a lot less messy than Return of the Jedi which really clunks along to get to its powerful conclusion. But A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back are superior films that tell better-crafted stories and feel fresh and less manufactured. There is a feeling of caution in The Force Awakens. You almost get the sense that Abrams wasn’t allowed to go too far in any unique direction. I would argue that may have been the best approach for episode seven after the issues with the prequels.

A duel of the fates?

But I will also say that I won’t accept that kind of safe story telling for episode eight. The stage is set for some really interesting plot and character development. I want to see new worlds, new paths and new revelations. I don’t want to see Empire Strikes Back in a new coat of paint. If episode eight forges its new path, than I think those that don’t care for The Force Awakens too much will be willing to accepts its role in the series. But if episode eight continues down this path of manufactured familiarity, we’ll see some disgruntled fans that may be wishing that Lucas were back in the drivers seat.